2017 gardening plans

[Isgrimnur]

How much is she putting into it? Me and my wife share decisions and the money. If she wasn't putting anything into it then Id make the choice on my own.

That sounds like a good way to alienate a wife. You don't contribute cash, you get no voice in the decision. Actually sounds like a good way to a future divorce.

With JeffV, we already assume the list of possibilities has more spots to land on than the Price is Right Wheel.

[cheeba]

A couple years ago I decided I'd try to grow an apricot tree from seed. Long story shortened, I have one surviving tree that I planted last spring and did quite well. Unfortunately, it did not go unscathed during this winter and a branch split. I'm wondering if it's possible to repair this? You might have to zoom in a bit to see the break, it's not easy getting a good picture amidst all this brown.

Through searching I've seen some people say that you can actually repair splits like this with gorilla glue and stringing it together for a while. If you can't tell scale in the picture, the tree is about pinkie-finger thick at the bottom, not quite pencil thick at the split. I was thinking of just cutting it at the split and letting that tall side-branch take over.

[Kelric]

How much is she putting into it? Me and my wife share decisions and the money. If she wasn't putting anything into it then Id make the choice on my own.

Ha. I'd be 0% married with 98% of the money if it worked that way in this house.

[Kraken]

IDK anything about apricots, but in general single-trunk trees are stronger. My completely inexpert advice would be to go with your hunch and trim the weaker branch.

[stessier]

Have a caterpillar problem? This is interesting research.

[Jeff V]

A 1/4", beige colored beetle devastated my basil plants, which looked so good just 2 days ago.

[Kraken]

A 1/4", beige colored beetle devastated my basil plants, which looked so good just 2 days ago.

Insecticidal soap. Something strips my basil plants every year if I don't spray them after each rainfall. Seems to be a temporary condition, though, as they eventually recover -- whatever is feeding on them must have a limited life cycle.

If I was a bug I'd eat basil, too.

[Jeff V]

A 1/4", beige colored beetle devastated my basil plants, which looked so good just 2 days ago.

Insecticidal soap. Something strips my basil plants every year if I don't spray them after each rainfall. Seems to be a temporary condition, though, as they eventually recover -- whatever is feeding on them must have a limited life cycle.

If I was a bug I'd eat basil, too.

This morning was the first time I've ever caught one in the act. I'll have to see if I can find this insecticidal soap...do you have a brand to recommend?

[Kraken]

A 1/4", beige colored beetle devastated my basil plants, which looked so good just 2 days ago.

Insecticidal soap. Something strips my basil plants every year if I don't spray them after each rainfall. Seems to be a temporary condition, though, as they eventually recover -- whatever is feeding on them must have a limited life cycle.

If I was a bug I'd eat basil, too.

This morning was the first time I've ever caught one in the act. I'll have to see if I can find this insecticidal soap...do you have a brand to recommend?

Safer Insecticidal Soap is sold, like, everywhere, including Home Depot and Amazon. If you buy the concentrate and mix it with water yourself, a 32-oz bottle will last for years -- it's something like 2 Tbsp per quart and, unless you're growing a veritable forest of herbs, a quart or two will last you the season. The soap film clogs insects' breathing tubes and suffocates the little bastards so it's broad-spectrum. It's also unpalatable to other pests. You'll want to rinse your basil before eating it, though, or it might taste a bit soapy to you, too.

[Jeff V]

Thanks, ordered from Amazon. I caught a green/gold bug munching on it last night and eviscerated it with a hand spade.

[Jeff V]

So the beasties have a name - Japanese beetle. A pest control company paid a cold call this evening and said those things reproduce at an incredible rate, but can be controlled by spraying the ground. My wife was complaining our trees were being eaten as well, so when he offered us a discounted rate on account of her being a nurse, I agreed to give them a shot. The bug hunter arrived at around 9 pm (about an hour after signing the contract) to give the first treatment. They are supposed to come back if we don't see an improvement, otherwise, they do follow up treatments every 3 months (interior of the house is included in case anything takes up residence inside). The sprayer seemed more reluctant to spray thoroughly around the base of the garden plants, so I'm not sure how effective this might be.

I kind of want to do a Mr. T on all of the trees on this property and start over with something I find more attractive anyway (such as maple trees). I just had a patio put in with landscaping around it and they put in some scrawny, ugly-ass tree with half the branches dead.

[Kraken]

I gather the soap doesn't work on them. Too bad. I beat back my annual assault after a couple of sprayings.

[Jeff V]

I gather the soap doesn't work on them. Too bad. I beat back my annual assault after a couple of sprayings.

According to the bug guy, the females drop to the dirt daily to lay up to 5 eggs, which hatch shortly there after. Explains why I saw 4 the day after I annihilated the first one. Infestations happen rather quickly. And they like the soap, makes them squeaky clean.